Bogott guided program to most successful era in 100 years of hoops

Duke of Dixon coaches

Lyle Bogott sat down one Sunday with a board and a diagram of a basketball court and devised the offense that changed Dixon High School boys basketball history.

"I had some little pegs, and I moved them around and played around and came up with this type of offense called the roll-out," said Bogott, now 86 years old.

The roll-out helped Bogott become the winningest boys basketball coach by percentage in school history. From 1955 to 1959, his teams went 67-27 for a winning percentage of .713.

Bogott did not know he was the winningest coach in school history until last Friday night, when he was honored and presented a plaque at halftime of the Dixon boys' win over Streator in a ceremony celebrating 100 years of Dixon High School boys basketball.

The ceremony, which included dozens of former players as well as former coaches, was highlighted by the Bogott presentation. Several of Bogott's former players were on hand, including Stan Dunphy and Bob Hill, who played for Bogott from 1955 to 1957.

Both spoke glowingly about their former coach, who also coached them in baseball.

"He was a super coach," said Hill, a 2-year starting guard. "He worked us hard, but it paid off. It was fun."

But, it wasn't all fun.

"When we'd get done with practice, he'd move us to the step in the old gym," Hill said. "He'd have us run those steps, and we were in shape. I think that's how we won a lot of our games, because we were really in shape."

Dunphy, the 6-foot-3 starting center during the 1956-1957 season, said Bogott was ahead of his time as a coach.

"We played multiple defenses," Dunphy said. "We switched every time down the floor. The other team never knew what we were doing."

"We even switched in Spanish," Bogott said.

Bogott, a 1947 Rock Falls High School graduate who is a member of the school's sports Hall of Fame, spent 33 years at Dixon High School from the 50s to the 80s.

Besides baseball and basketball, Bogott also coached football during his years at Dixon. He taught physical education, science and driver's education, and was also the school's athletic director at one time.

He had a 2-year stint at Byron High School before spending the rest of his professional career at Dixon.

Bogott still fondly remembers his basketball coaching days.

"I had two great teams," he said. "In 1955-1956 and 1958-1959. My first and last teams. In 1955-1956 we were 18-5 and conference champs. And, in 1958-1959 we were 22-4 and regional champs."

Obviously, the game and its players have changed greatly over the years.

"The style is much different than when we played," Bogott said. "The kids are stronger, bigger, quicker."

Were there any dunks back then?

"We had a couple guys that could dunk it," Bogott said. "It was quite a thrill back then. Stu Keely could dunk it, and Bob Hargrave could dunk it."

"Stan Dunphy couldn't," Dunphy chimed in with a hearty laugh.

Bogott remembers an interesting situation that occured when Dixon played in Beloit, Wis.

"They did not have the 3-second in the lane rule," he said. "We had a field day."

Bogott's wife is the former Jean Maynard of Rock Falls.

Their three children all followed their father into education. His son Doug and daughters Jacci and Sally are all retired teachers. Doug and Jacci were also coaches.

Doug and Jacci taught in Texas, while Sally spent all of her teaching years at Montmorency Elementary School in Rock Falls.

Lyle had plenty of teaching and coaching wisdom to pass on, but only if it was sought.

"I only gave them advice if they asked me for it," he said. "I never interfered."

Bogott file

High school: Rock Falls (1947 graduate)

Colleges: Monmouth College (undergraduate), University of Iowa (master's)

Professional career (coach, teacher, athletic director): Byron High School, 2 years; Dixon High School, 33 years